Cetona is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the southern part

province of Siena The province of Siena (, ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. It has 259,826 inhabitants. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chian ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, in an area where

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

and

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

meet. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). The geographical elevation is between and the of Monte Cetona itself, at the base of which the town is situated at around .

History

Some of the oldest human settlements of central Italy were discovered at the base of Monte Cetona, such as the early neo-

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

''Gosto cave'' (40–80th century BC) and ''Lattaia cave'' (9–10th century BC). The ''Belverde'' park hosts 25 prehistoric and Bronze Age caves, such as the ''San Francesco cave''. There are several sites of

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

finds. The town of Cetona developed on the hillside around the '' rocca'' fortress, containing a square tower (about 900 AD) and an inner fortress wall. It became known as the ''Scitonia'' castle. In the first mention of the ''

'', at the end of the 11th century,

Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII (; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. One of the great ...

granted feudal rights to a member of his family, the

Aldobrandeschi The Aldobrandeschi family was an Italian noble family from southern Tuscany. Overview Of probable Lombard origin, they appear in history as counts in the 9th century. The first known count was Hildebrand II (857). Their possession extended t ...

. The family's heirs sold the rights,Cetona: storia
(archived link, 16 February 2012) and in the 14th century, Cetona was alternatingly ruled by

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

and

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...

(until 1354), and, after a brief rule by

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

, was annexed by Siena. An outer wall was built, containing two round towers (1458). Grand Duke

Cosimo I de' Medici Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to the duchy. ...

of Tuscany sold Cetona in 1556, to the marchese

Chiappino Vitelli Giovan Luigi "Chiappino" Vitelli (1519 – July 1575) was an Italian nobleman and military leader who was Marquis of Cetona. He became a general and diplomat for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and stayed in the service of his son, Philip II of Spai ...

(1519–75), who made the fortress into a private residence, and built the piazza below it, today named ''Piazza Garibaldi''. His descendants also erected ''Palazzo Vitelli'' in the late 17th century. Cetona was connected to

Sarteano Sarteano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena. Sarteano is particularly important from the historical point of view. Located betwe ...

(1772–1840), and annexed to Italy in 1861. The place name of ''Cetona'' or ''Citonia'' (local variation) probably comes from the Latin word ''caedita'', "felled, deforested" with regard to a deforested and cultivated place. An early Christian

baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...

, now a parish church, mentioned in documents as ''baptisterium Sancti Johannis de Queneto'' or ''de Queteno'', may have been named in reference to the Chieteno stream that flows just south of Cetona.

Main sights

Archeological finds are on display in ''Museo Civico per la Preistoria del Monte Cetona'' (in Town), which also administers the ''Parco Archeologico Naturalistico del Monte Cetona'' (three km towards Monte Cetona). The '' Rocca'' is still privately owned; the other significant hill is occupied by ''Palazzo a Parco Terrosi'' (1750), owned by

Valentino Valentino may refer to People * Valentino (surname), including a list of people with the name * Valentino (given name), including a list of people with the name Mononymous persons * Valentino (fashion designer) (born Valentino Clemente Ludovic ...

. Churches in Cetona are the ''Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo'' (built 1155) and the ''Chiesa la Collegiata della San Trinita'' church (1475), as well as the ''Convento di San Francesco'' (since 1212) and ''Convento di Santa Maria a Belverde'' (frescoes by

Cola Petruccioli Cola Petruccioli (1360–1401) was an Italian painter from Orvieto in Umbria, known as an apprentice to Ugolino di Prete Ilaro, active in the period around 1400 and contemporary of the Sienese School. His works are seen in the Cathedral of Ass ...

Economy

Cetona today is traditionally agricultural (vine, olive), but increasingly basing its economy on

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultu ...

References

External links

Cetona - photos and history
Cities and towns in Tuscany Borghi più belli d'Italia {{Siena-geo-stub